The present invention relates to a sling mounting head, for a sling chain suspension system and more particularly to a sling mounting head for use with spacer elements.
Sling mounting heads of the above known type have been proposed in the art. Sling mounting heads are located at opposite sides of a spacer element which, preferably, has a variable length. Each sling mounting head has a solid central section, a retaining boss extending rearwardly from a rear face of the central section and insertable into a tubular end of the spacer element, and two fork plates extending forwardly from a front face of the central section. The fork plates are provided with holes through which a connecting pin releasably extends, for connecting sling chains or suspensions members with one another. The dimensions and strength values of the connecting pins are determined in accordance with predetermined quality grades in mechanical assembly.
In known sling gears with one or more tubular spacer elements having a variable length, the spacer elements are not formed as supporting beams capable to be statically loaded, but serve only to support the load sling points of two-strand chains at a distance. Such gear has a more or less expensive construction. This applies particularly to the sling means mounting head located at the ends of the spacer elements. It is known to provide on each mounting head two connecting forks which are offset relative to one another by 90.degree. and have prongs which are connected by releasable holding pins for intermediate members or end members of the chain strand sections to be connected. It has also been proposed to provide only one fork whose prongs are, however, constructed with abutments for supporting a chain link which follows a chain link slung in the fork.
In accordance with the above-mentioned first embodiment, separate chain strand sections can be mechanically connected either directly with one another or through suspension members by connecting pins which are offset relative to one another by 90.degree.. In accordance with the second-mentioned embodiment only the link of a through-going sling chain can be slung in the single connecting pin. The mounting heads are therefore limited to one or the other mode of mounting. Moreover, they are expensive to manufacture.